[.:4:.]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

I've only ever taken warranty cars or company cars in for service.

One such company car was a "heavy industries" brand. Not really my choice, but the pick of a bad bunch due to fleet rules at the time.

Normally the service guys have to fight it out with lease companies for authorisation to do additional work (at additional cost) and most don't even try it, as the lease companies are tight-asses, and they also know all the tricks in the book. But this particular car wasn't through a lease arrangement, and we had to pay for servicing on the company credit card.

Went in for the usual 1500km or whatever it was inspection, which was noted as free, but they still wanted me to fill out paperwork. Having learnt in the past, I always wrote "no additional work or products without prior approval" and my mobile number. I got a call asking if I wanted the tyres rotated, which I declined. That should have rung the warning bells... 1500km and the tyres need rotating on an AWD car...... sheesh!

At 3 months, it went in for it's first service (something like 10 or 12K from memory?). Asked the price beforehand, knowing it was really just a filter & oil.
Filled the paperwork out as usual, including the authorisation line I always write before sigining.

Go to pick it up, and the total requested was almost double what was quoted that morning. On top of the scheduled service, they wanted $20 something for wiper blades (they were 3 months old!) but the real ripper was the twin-pack of "fuel system cleaner" that they put on the counter - with one empty bottle. He told me I needed to put the 2nd bottle in next time I filled the tank. I questioned why a 3 month old car would need 2 bottles of "fuel cleaner" put through it, and was told "you can't trust fuel companies."

He then proceeded to put a bottle of "genuine" washer detergent on the counter - with about 10mm missing from the top. The price for that was also exhorbitant. I told him I didn't request it, and the answer was "well it's in the car now, you have to pay for it" - so I replied "I'll pay for the % of the bottle you used, and you can wear the rest" - his reply "doesn't work like that, you have to buy the whole bottle, it's in your car now" - so I told him, loud enough to get the attention of others in the waiting area "well you can go & get a straw & suck it back out, because I am not paying for something that wasn't authorised."

It then became a standoff - they wouldn't let me pay the original quoted amount, and wouldn't hand over my keys until I paid the new total. But I stood my ground & asked for someone higher up. Got the "I am the boss" line from a guy in a polo shirt, so I requested the dealer principal. He laughed, making a joke to his colleagues that sure, the customer thinks the DP has an office here in the service dept (it was a separate site to the sales yard). I may or may no have called him a farmyard animal, but told him to get him on the phone, which they did - but they wouldn't let me talk to him. They gave a "softer" version of events, bordering on lies, but were careful not to say too much.

Eventually they came to the realisation that nobody called me for authorisation, and I was in the right. The bill was cut back down to the original service charge. I suggested (being a smart ***) that he might want to put my old wiper blades back in, so he can keep the new wiper blades for the next stooge job. All I got was a growl......

The problem then, was this was the only service outlet for that brand, that was convenient for me to get to, so I was kinda stuck knowing I'd have to go back. Fortunately I only had that car for 2 more services, and each time I warned them no additional work was allowed without authorisation. They tried calling & asking for silly things, and I simply refused each time.

But it makes me wonder how many people, when given the "empty" fuel system cleaner bottle (clever suck-in marketing in the twin-pack), or the freshly opened washer detergent, simply pay up. The waiting room was probably 75% female customers, some of them with school age kids in tow, some young, some elderly - all of them ripe for the picking. If they tried it on me, were they going to to the same to all of them too?

Mate thats the game. There's alot of people out there for the cash grab to stooge you. I drive a work car privately and I get that it's not a personal cost for repairs but I'm the same. I got told my work ute needed a new mass airflow sensor because the drive train light came on and they scanned it. This was a 10 minute process. I told them to clear the code and to get absolutely something , took it home , light came back on, and found the boost leak, tempt it up, and called up and told them what part to order. Just because a sensor bought up a fault it doesn't mean the sensor is faulty. Maybe it's doing its job. So after some less then polite words with works mechanic they got the intercooler hose is and magically the problem went away. No mass airflow sensor was needed. After I copped a few hostilities from the head mechanic after round 1, when the intercooler gave way and had a 3 inch gash in it after I had a poke around. Mind you I only drive cars, I don't work with them. It's a common sense thing. I said to the head mechanic where the issue was and there was no hostility and the ute was done in under 5 hours. I don't tell people how to do their jobs. I personally hate when imbosiles try to tell me how to do my job., but when you tell a person whats wrong with your stuff and know it (I have a few clients who know exactly what is wrong and give me part numbers) it's awesome.